Plot : 3.75 ⭐
Audio Narration: 4.5⭐

“Once upon a time, there was a house.”

Thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone has rarely ventured out of her home in Arizona ever since a tragic car accident resulted in the loss of her beloved step-grandmother Trixie and left her permanently scarred when she was just five years old. The only bright spot in Myra’s reclusive life is her devotion to The Mansion, an antique dollhouse ( with no dolls) she inherited from Trixie. Myra spends most of her time in her attic tending to her “minuscule mansion”, decorating ad redecorating the rooms, and fashioning new furniture and other bit san pieces as she feels. But The Mansion seems to have a mind of its home and often rejects her upgrades –phenomena for which Myra has no explanation and a fact that she keeps to herself. She documents her work on her Mansion along with pictures of the rooms in her blog, “The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone”, which she started on the persuasion of her best and only friend, Gwen. Her blog has garnered a tremendous following with fans writing to her and sending her potential additions to the rooms. When Rutherford Alexander Rakes III, “Alex”, heir to his affluent family’s furniture business, comes across her blog he is taken aback when he sees that the rooms of the mansion and some of the décor are similar to the house he now lives in – an old house that belonged to his paternal grandmother Willa’s side of the family complete with a legacy about which Alex has more questions than answers. Alex reaches out to Myra and as they begin to correspond, the mystery behind Myra’s Mansion and Alex’s family legacy is slowly unraveled and in the process exacting a positive change in both of their lives.

With its absorbing plot and elements of intrigue and magical realism, The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges is an enchanting story that touches upon themes of loneliness, friendship, love and family among others. The author touches upon sensitive topics such as grief, isolation, anxiety and PTSD with much compassion. While there are episodes of deep pain and sorrow in this story, we also have heartwarming moments of friendship, love and personal growth peppered with splashes of humor interspersed throughout the novel, the author does a remarkable job of weaving the multiple timelines and perspectives into an immersive narrative. Myra is an endearing protagonist, though I did find her a tad immature at times, and I found Willa to be an intriguing character. Though this is a relatively slow-paced novel, at no point did I lose interest. The connection between Alex and Myra is not completely unpredictable but I did like how the story developed. I paired my reading with the wonderful audio narration by Christine Lakin, which made this story come to life. ( )

Since a tragic accident, Myra lives a secluded life in Arizona. She has a miniature house, the mansion, which she blogs about and which she feels very attached to. Alex lives in Virginia, working for the family business but not close to his father. One day Alex stumbles across Myra's blog and realises that her mansion is his house. And so begins a story which brings the two together.
I loved this book. Reading it on a train journey on a rainy day I was transported into the lives of Myra, Alex and Willa, and loved the complete escapism. It's a gentle book which is really emotive and even the 'magical' element did not annoy me too much! It's obvious the way the plot will go from very early on but it doesn't make the story any less. A hidden gem of a novel. ( )

The premise of The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone instantly captured my imagination. Myra Malone of the title is a reclusive blogger who writes from her attic in Arizona about the Mansion; a miniature dolls' house given to her by a loved one. Myra is an online sensation with thousands of subscribers and fans who enjoy her blog posts about the Mansion, the rooms and their decoration and subsequent redecoration. Fans send her items hoping they'll be featured in one of the rooms and Myra has cultivated a safe and fulfilling existence for herself.

The house is a huge hinged trunk with brass buckles and originally belonged to her step grandmother Trixie. The descriptions of the Mansion in the novel were so detailed I could easily visualise the structure.

"It's hinged, by the way." Lou pointed to brass buckles on the house's backside, shut tight. Myra already knew. "It opens up like a clam on its side, and there are little rooms on hinges inside, too - it kind of unfurls. Damnedest thing I've ever seen." Page 18

More than just a dollhouse, the Mansion has a touch of magic Myra has never understood but which she associates with the original owner Trixie. Sometimes Myra can hear music coming from the Mansion and rooms in the house can suddenly appear or disappear without warning.

"The Mansion is a miniature house - some might say a dollhouse, but please don't, it takes slights very personally - in an eclectic architectural style that embraces Victorian and Gothic influences, as well as a few other mishmashed elements thrown in just for the hell of it." Page 99

We're soon introduced to Alex who works in his father's furniture business and he's a likeable character. However Alex is shocked beyond belief when he inadvertently stumbles across Myra's blog because the Mansion looks exactly like his house! Why does Myra Malone have a miniature model of his house and a replica bedroom with his furniture inside?

The plot is driven by a mystery surrounding the original owner of the Mansion and I enjoyed the dual timelines and touch of 'other'. The novel cleverly incorporates Myra's blog posts to tell some of the story (as in the quote from page 99 above), although I did find the connection between the characters across time a little hazy at times, but thankfully it became clear.

Presented in a delightfully designed cover, and containing a very light romance with strong generational links, I fell in love with this uplifting, feel good tale.

Highly recommended!

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan * ( )

I love Magical Realism, and Audrey Burges does a fantastic job with it in The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Banks, her debut novel.

In this novel you’ll find various timelines and voices telling their stories, and Burges makes it all come together seamlessly. Sometimes books told with multiple timelines and/or narrators can be jarring or confusing, but I did not find this to be the case.

Many of the characters have major growth throughout the book, while others are there to offer great support or some humorous moments. There are touches of mythology that I felt could have been explored more, since I was left with some major questions at the end in regards to what about the rooms below, and the mansion itself. But this could lead to another book to answer that (I could see this becoming a series like Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman with some books taking place before and/or after this one)… or could make for a great conversation for a book club.

Sometimes the romance aspects can be a bit too much for me (if the book isn’t straight up romance), but Burges used a deft touch when it came to Myra and Alex’s blossoming relationship. When it finally fell into place, I actually had a spark of joy from how well Burges managed it.

If you enjoy magical realism or just want to read a book to add a bit more magic into your life, you should get a copy of The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone. ( )

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